Year‑old partnership eyes Canada’s greenest, geothermal‑powered greenhouse, pairing DEEP’s wells with Oppy’s produce expertise and Indigenous equity participation

Oppy and DEEP Earth Energy Production (DEEP) say their geothermal‑powered greenhouse in southeast Saskatchewan has cleared several design and financing milestones one year after the two companies first joined forces, keeping the venture on schedule to become ­what they call Canada’s greenest, most energy‑efficient produce facility.

The partners Vancouver‑based Oppy, a major marketer and distributor, and DEEP, the first firm in the country to pursue commercial‑scale geothermal power plan to harness heat drawn from wells drilled three kilometres below the prairie to warm and electrify a high‑tech glasshouse that will supply locally grown fruits and vegetables year‑round while sharply reducing fossil‑fuel use and related emissions.

The greenhouse is being engineered to integrate directly with DEEP’s geothermal power plant, capturing both low‑emission electricity and process heat that would otherwise be vented.

Project teams have spent the past 12 months refining the layout, evaluating crop mixes and negotiating offtake agreements, and although construction timelines have not been released, Oppy expects the complex to “set a new standard for sustainable agriculture” once operational.

Beyond its technical ambition, the initiative has been structured to broaden the economic upside for local and Indigenous stakeholders.

DEEP is holding talks with the Saskatchewan First Nations Natural Resource Centre of Excellence and several Cree and Saulteaux communities about equity participation so that revenue from power generation and produce sales flows back into the region.

That dialogue builds on a memorandum of understanding DEEP signed last year with the Resource Centre to create an investment framework for First Nations in both the power plant and any ancillary agribusinesses, including the greenhouse.

“This project represents a major step toward expanding geothermal and greenhouse industries into regions of Canada that have never seen such a model before. It’s an exciting time for DEEP as we continue our mission to lead the way in sustainable energy and agriculture. We’re making a significant investment to start and grow an industry in Canada, and we look forward to the opportunities ahead as we bring this vision to life with Oppy.”

Kirsten Marcia, DEEP Founder 

Oppy, which markets greenhouse vegetables from more than a dozen conventional and high‑tech sites around the world, views geothermal integration as a logical next step in trimming Scope 1 and 2 emissions from its supply chain.

“The prospect of this project’s ability to transform agriculture and serve as a model for sustainability is truly remarkable. We are proud to partner with DEEP and look forward to continuing our work together to build Canada’s greenest greenhouse. This project reflects Oppy’s ongoing commitment to sustainability and innovation in the produce industry.”

Kevin Batt, Oppy’s Category Director

While detailed capacity figures are still confidential, internal models indicate the geothermal loop can provide enough baseload electricity and nearly all thermal requirements for a multi‑hectare glasshouse, eliminating the natural‑gas boilers that typically dominate a prairie greenhouse’s carbon footprint.

The site’s proximity to two major highways will also let Oppy move product to Western Canadian and northern U.S. markets without the multi‑day trucking routes that imported greenhouse produce often travels, further shrinking transport emissions.

Financing for both the power plant and the greenhouse is expected to close in stages once front‑end engineering is finalized.

Oppy brings decades of crop‑management, marketing and distribution expertise, while DEEP will own and operate the well field, power‑conversion equipment and heat‑exchange systems.

The partners say co‑location lowers capital costs compared with stand‑alone geothermal or greenhouse projects because each can monetize the other’s by‑products electricity sales help underwrite drilling expenses, and the greenhouse absorbs residual heat and CO₂ to stimulate plant growth.